The present invention relates to a floor for a building and a method of constructing the floor. More particularly, the present invention relates a floor having a radiant heat system and a concrete slab and a method of constructing the floor containing the radiant heat system and the concrete slab.
There are many large buildings such as home improvement stores and warehouse stores that utilize a cement slab as a floor for the space. Typically, a forced air heating system is utilized to heat the building. However, utilizing a forced air system to heat a large space can make controlling the temperature difficult where the temperature fluctuates.
In many instances, the building owner would prefer to use a radiant heat system that is encased within the cement slab because a radiant heating system provides a more consistent ambient temperature. However, the costs associated with installing the radiant heat system into a cement slab can be expensive when compared to a floor that is constructed without a radiant heat system.
To install a radiant heat system in a cement slab, tubes that contain a heating medium, such as a hot fluid or liquid, are positioned at selected intervals along the area to be covered by the cement slab. The cement slab is then typically poured using manual labor, instead of heavy equipment, to prevent the tubes from being crushed. The use of manual labor instead of heavy equipment can cause the cost of cement slabs containing a radiant heat system to escalate to a point such that the cost can be an impediment to installing a cement floor with a radiant heat system.
Further, it is difficult to remodel a building having a radiant heat system encased within the cement slab or modify the cement slab as the modification to the cement slab may damage the tubing; requiring an expensive repair. In many instances, if a radiant heat system is encased within the cement slab, the owner will refrain from performing the desired remodeling to save the costs associated with having to repair the radiant heat system.